Appropriate prescribing in older people

Deprescribing: A narrative review of the evidence and practical recommendations for recognizing opportunities and taking action

Deprescribing can be defined as the process of withdrawal or dose reduction of medications which are considered inappropriate in an individual. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview of "deprescribing"; firstly discussing the potential benefits and harms followed by the barriers to and enablers of deprescribing. We also provide practical recommendations to recognise opportunities and strategies for deprescribing in practice. Studies focused on minimizing polypharmacy indicate that deprescribing may be associated with potential benefits including resolution of adverse drug reactions, improved quality of life and medication adherence and a reduction in drug costs. While the data on the benefits is inconsistent, deprescribing appears to be safe. There are, however, potential harms including return of medical conditions or symptoms and adverse drug withdrawal reactions which emphasise the need for the process to be supervised and monitored by a health care professional. Taking action on deprescribing can be facilitated by knowledge of potential barriers, implementing a deprescribing process (utilising developed tools and resources) and identifying opportunities for deprescribing through engaging with patients and caregivers and other health care professionals and considering deprescribing in a variety of populations. Important areas for future research include the suitability of deprescribing of certain medications in specific populations, how to implement deprescribing processes into clinical care in a feasible and cost effective manner and how to engage consumers throughout the process to achieve positive health and quality of life outcomes.

Beliefs and attitudes of older adults and carers about deprescribing of medications: a qualitative focus group study

BACKGROUND

Deprescribing describes the complex process that is required for the safe and effective cessation of medications that are likely to cause more harm than benefit. Knowledgeof older adults' and carers' attitudes towards deprescribing will enhance shared decision making in medication optimisation.

AIM

To explore the views, beliefs, and attitudes of older adults and carers on deprescribing.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Qualitative focus group study in New South Wales, Australia.

METHOD

Four focus groups with 14 older adults and 14 carers were conducted. Results were analysed using a previously developed framework (directed content analysis) with additional conventional content analysis.

RESULTS

The willingness of both older adults and carers to have one or more medications deprescribed was influenced by the following main themes: their perception of the appropriateness of that medication; fear of outcomes of withdrawal; dislike of taking medications; and the availability of a process for withdrawal (including a discussion with a healthcare professional and knowing that the medication could be restarted if necessary). A patient's regular GP was identified as a strong influence both for and against medication withdrawal. The identified themes supported the previously developed framework. An additional theme unique to the carers was the complexity involved in making decisions about medications for their care recipients.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights that discussions between the healthcare professional and the olderadult or carer about withdrawing medications should address reasons for deprescribing. GPs should be aware of their major influence on patients and regularly discuss appropriateness of current medication use with older adults and their carers.

Primary Care Medication Safety Surveillance with Integrated Primary and Secondary Care Electronic Health Records: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

The extent of preventable medication-related hospital admissions and medication-related issues in primary care is significant enough to justify developing decision support systems for medication safety surveillance. The prerequisite for such systems is defining a relevant set of medication safety-related indicators and understanding the influence of both patient and general practice characteristics on medication prescribing and monitoring.

Objective

The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of linked primary and secondary care electronic health record data for surveillance of medication safety, examining not only prescribing but also monitoring, and associations with patient- and general practice-level characteristics.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using linked records of patients served by one hospital and over 50 general practices in Salford, UK. Statistical analysis consisted of mixed-effects logistic models, relating prescribing safety indicators to potential determinants.

Results

The overall prevalence (proportion of patients with at least one medication safety hazard) was 5.45 % for prescribing indicators and 7.65 % for monitoring indicators. Older patients and those on multiple medications were at higher risk of prescribing hazards, but at lower risk of missed monitoring. The odds of missed monitoring among all patients were 25 % less for males, 50 % less for patients in practices that provide general practitioner training, and threefold higher in practices serving the most deprived compared with the least deprived areas. Practices with more prescribing hazards did not tend to show more monitoring issues.

Conclusions

Systematic collection, collation, and analysis of linked primary and secondary care records produce plausible and useful information about medication safety for a health system. Medication safety surveillance systems should pay close attention to patient age and polypharmacy with respect to both prescribing and monitoring failures; treat prescribing and monitoring as different statistical processes, rather than a combined measure of prescribing safety; and audit the socio-economic equity of missed monitoring.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40264-015-0304-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Adverse drug reactions in special populations - the elderly

The International Conference on Harmonization considers older people a 'special population', as they differ from younger adults in terms of comorbidity, polypharmacy, pharmacokinetics and greater vulnerability to adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Medical practice is often based on single disease guidelines derived from clinical trials that have not included frail older people or those with multiple morbidities. This presents a challenge caring for older people, as drug doses in trials may not be achievable in real world patients and risks of ADRs are underestimated in clinical trial populations. The majority of ADRs in older people are Type A, potentially avoidable and associated with commonly prescribed medications. Several ADRs are particularly associated with major adverse consequences in the elderly and their reduction is therefore a clinical priority. Falls are strongly associated with benzodiazepines, neuroleptics, antidepressants and antihypertensives. There is good evidence for medication review as part of a multifactorial intervention to reduce falls risk in community dwelling elderly. Multiple medications also contribute to delirium, another multifactorial syndrome resulting in excess mortality particularly in frail older people. Clostridium difficile associated with use of broad spectrum antibiotics mainly affects frail older people and results in prolonged hospital stay with substantial morbidity and mortality. Antipsychotics increase the risk of stroke by more than three-fold in patients with dementia. Inappropriate prescribing can be reduced by adherence to prescribing guidelines, suitable monitoring and regular medication review. Given the heterogeneity within the older population, providing individualized care is pivotal to preventing ADRs.